Effectiveness of Existential Psychotherapy in an Online Group Method on Meaning Reconstruction in Grief and Death Anxiety in War Survivors
Keywords:
psychotherapy in an online group method, meaning reconstruction in grief, death anxiety, war survivorsAbstract
Objective: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of existential psychotherapy in an online group format on meaning reconstruction in grief and death anxiety among war survivors.
Methods and Materials: This study employed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of male and female war survivors aged 20 to 50 years residing in Tehran during the first half of 2026. Thirty-two participants were selected using purposive sampling and randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received existential psychotherapy in an online group format based on the May and Yalom (1989) protocol in 10 sessions of 90 minutes over five weeks, while the control group remained on a waiting list. Research instruments included the Grief Meaning Reconstruction Inventory developed by Gillies et al. (2015) and the Templer Death Anxiety Scale (1970). Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and Bonferroni post-hoc tests in SPSS-28.
Findings: The findings demonstrated that existential psychotherapy in an online group format significantly improved meaning reconstruction in grief and its components, including personal growth, reduction of emptiness and meaninglessness, and valuing life (p<0.05). In addition, the intervention significantly reduced death anxiety, pure death anxiety, and the general factor of death anxiety. The largest effect sizes were related to overall meaning reconstruction in grief (η²p=0.21) and valuing life (η²p=0.20). However, no significant differences were found in the components of continuing bonds, sense of peace, and fear of pain and surgery.
Conclusion: The results suggest that existential psychotherapy delivered through an online group format is an effective intervention for enhancing meaning reconstruction in grief and reducing death anxiety among war survivors. The accessibility of online psychological services may facilitate broader implementation of evidence-based interventions for trauma-affected populations and improve mental health support for war survivors.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Fatemeh Tajzadeh (Author); Sheyda Esmaeilzadeh; Soheila Esgandani, Bahram Mohammadrezaei, Elahe Sanami (Author)
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